The command deck of the draconic vanguard hung suspended above the desolate borderlands like a predator's observation platform.
An earth-affinity dragon had shaped it directly from the cracked, barren ground.
Raw stone forced upward through sheer magical manipulation, molded into a platform wide enough to accommodate a dozen dragons and their tactical apparatus.
The stone was rough-hewn, still bearing the marks of the earth dragon's claws where she had carved the binding sigils into its surface.
The platform radiated no heat, carried no ancient scars of past conflicts. It was newly formed, hastily constructed, a temporary instrument of command created specifically for this engagement.
The barrenlands spread below in all directions. A landscape of absolute desolation.
The parched terrain extended for vast distances, where deep fissures capable of engulfing substantial structures stretched for miles.
